TexMessage: Does Houston have a new U.S. Attorney — or not?

Good morning, TexMessagers! Do you know who your U.S. Attorney is? The White House: not so sure.

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TEXclusive

Lyndon B. Johnson was larger than life in so many ways. He was brilliant and persuasive, petty and vengeful. One of the pettiest parts of his outsized personality manifested itself when someone in the press announced that he was about to select somebody for an administration position. More than once, LBJ got back at that confounded scribe by delaying the announcement or by choosing somebody else.

Flash forward to 2011. The Chronicle’s Brian Rogers reported yesterday that the president had selected Kenneth Magidson to be the next U.S. Attorney in Houston. We had plenty of sources: The White House had informed both Texas senators that it had chosen Magidson and three other Texans. We received copies of the White House press release from Capitol Hill and from inside the administration.

Just one problem. The White House never made an official announcement of the nominations. Call it a premature, unauthorized scoop.

As of last night, the announcement still hadn’t come — even though we have a press release in our hands with President Obama lauding his choices as “tenacious and diligent in their pursuit of justice” and declaring that “I am honored to nominate them to serve their fellow Americans as U.S. Attorneys.”

For the sake of all concerned, let’s hope that President Obama doesn’t have an LBJ mean streak in him and that the press release that we already have will be sent out to the rest of the world soon.

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Texas Tips

Every morning, we offer Texas news you may not have heard and insights from the Washington bureau staff.

★ TEXAS COULD DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD. Washington anti-abortion groups are celebrating the Texas Legislature after lawmakers in Austin passed a bill that would stop funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.More >>>

★ BARTON WOULD LEGALIZE ONLINE POKER. Rep. Joe Barton of Texas introduced a bill Friday that would allow for the legalization of online poker in the United States. With the bill, all online gambling would be strictly prohibited except for poker, horse betting, lotteries and skill games. More >>>

★ TIME’S TAKE ON PERRY. Gov. Rick Perry was Newsweek’s cover boy last year. But he’s not getting the same golden treatment in the competition. Was Perry responsible for the job growth in Texas? Time looked into it with the help of Dallas Fed chief economist Pia Orrenius and G.O.P. strategists. More >>>

Reader Comment of the Day

“Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson said it best!!
‘He doesn’t identify with the people who are disenchanted with the status quo. He’s identified with the previous administration and very much the status quo.'”

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Texas Watch

TxPotomac lets you know what stories to look out for today — and later this week.

On Deck: Today

★ The Senate Foreign Relations committee will markup a resolution on authorizing the military mission in Libya at 2:30 p.m. EDT, in room 419 of the Dirksen building. Similar legislation failed the House on Friday.

★ The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security will hold a hearing on the immigration bill known as the DREAM Act, with Education Secretary Arne Duncan at 10 a.m. EDT, room 226 of the Dirksen building, Washington, D.C.

★ The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will hold a hearing on the state of livestock in America at 2:45 p.m. EDT in room 106 of the Dirksen building, Washington, D.C.

★ Wednesday: The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (Chairman Rockefeller, D-W.Va.) will hold a hearing on how entities collect, maintain, secure and use personal information and whether current law adequately protects consumers. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. EDT in room 253 of the Russell Building, Washington, D.C.